After making an initial application, people have to demonstrate evidence of earnings on a regular basis, for example by supplying copies of wage slips. People still eligible at 26 weeks are invited to make a reapplication for another 26 weeks receipt. These procedures were not always well remembered, especially by people whose claims had expired.
4.1.1 4.1.1 4.1.1 4.1.1
4.1.1 First applicationFirst applicationFirst applicationFirst applicationFirst application
What was remembered about the first application was that this was mostly a quick and easy process. Most people found completing the formal application easy because of the help received from a Personal Adviser. A signature and bank details were all that were needed where the Adviser had filled in the rest of the form. Some people remembered that their employers needed to verify their prospective earnings and working hours and that no problems were encountered regarding this. Payments usually appeared soon after, many within a couple of weeks of starting
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work, and were backdated to the job start date. If there were delays in receiving payments, this was especially problematic for people who had to wait until the end of the month for earnings. Not knowing what was happening to their RTWC application made things harder. Findings from a separate study with incapacity benefit recipients included similar experiences of delays and resulting financial problems when people had immediate expenses to pay and debts to repay (Corden and Nice, 2006).
Surprise at the speed and ease of application was expressed by some people who compared the experience to inconveniences and difficulties in applying for other benefits and tax credits. In comparison, incapacity benefits application forms were considered too long and complex. The administration of tax credits was slow, demanded a lot of personal information, and produced miscalculations resulting in overpayments.
4.1.2 4.1.2 4.1.2 4.1.2
4.1.2 Evidence of earEvidence of earEvidence of earEvidence of earEvidence of earningsningsningsningsnings
Although application had been easy, some remembered problems with providing evidence of continued eligibility. For many, providing evidence of earnings was a regular and simple task of providing copies of wage slips to Jobcentre Plus staff. However, problems occurred when people took too long to provide evidence, the evidence was not received by Jobcentre Plus, or when people did not have the required forms of evidence. The study group included people whose payments were stopped and then reinstated with backdated payments when Jobcentre Plus received appropriate evidence. Financial difficulties were experienced during the pause in payments by people who were reliant on the extra £40 a week. One person lost RTWC altogether at this point, as explained in Chapter 5. Several people remembered wage slips apparently being lost in the post. When wage slips were not kept, breaks in payments were avoided by asking the employer to verify wages paid.
4.1.3 4.1.3 4.1.3 4.1.3
4.1.3 ReapplicationReapplicationReapplicationReapplicationReapplication
Some of the people still in their first period of receipt at the time of the research interview were close to the point of the 26-week reapplication. We gain insights into how this process is understood at the time. Some said they had not realised until receiving a letter from Jobcentre Plus that they needed to reapply to receive RTWC for a full year. This was also the recollection of some who, at the time of interview, had gone through the reapplication process. They knew they needed to act quickly to ensure their payments continued. One person intended to visit Jobcentre Plus because the reapplication instructions were lost.
There is evidence that the reapplication process was not a distinct experience among people who had been receiving RTWC for longer than six months. They did not always distinguish the 26-week reapplication from regular requests to provide evidence of eligibility.
Among those who did remember a process of reapplication, some said this went smoothly. They remembered receiving notification well enough in advance and Experiences of receipt: The elements of Return to Work Credit
Experiences of receipt: The elements of Return to Work CreditExperiences of receipt: The elements of Return to Work Credit Experiences of receipt: The elements of Return to Work Credit Experiences of receipt: The elements of Return to Work Credit
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being told that their reapplication had been successful. However, not all people who expected to be reminded before the reapplication date received advance notification. Some were surprised when their payments stopped. In this situation some people made enquiries at Jobcentre Plus and were able to make late reapplications. They did not always know if their missed payments would be backdated. Some people, however, discovered they were unable to reapply because they were out of time. People did not always expect to remain entitled to RTWC at the point of reapplication and some said they were surprised when granted another 26-week period of receipt. For example, one person who conceptualised RTWC as an acknowledgement of his effort and progress, said he had been surprised that the government needed to encourage him any longer through RTWC, once he had spent a period of time in work.
Some people who felt more financially comfortable at 26 weeks were not concerned if their reapplication was successful or not, but went ahead and continued to receive RTWC.